Habakkuk 1

Where we look for comfort, there a cross: where we expect honey there we taste wormwood. From where is it that the earth is filled with violence, that the wicked oppresses the man which is more righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13). From where is it that so much fraudulency in deal…

His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect loving of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil (Habakkuk 1:13): "Of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity." First, God is holy intrinsically.

(Psalm 111:9) Holy and reverend is his name. (Habakkuk 1:13) You are of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. God is essentially, originally and efficiently holy: all the holiness in men and angels is but a crystal stream that runs from this glorious ocean.

God will be in no man's debt. God makes use of the wicked sometimes to protect and shield his Church: he makes use of them to refine and purify his people (Habakkuk 1:12). "You have ordained them for correction."

All our gifts come from God, and to him must all our praises return. We are apt to burn incense to our own drag (Habakkuk 1:16), to attribute all we have to our own skill or second causes. (1.) Our own skill and industry.

(Psalm 5:4, 5, 6) For you are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with you; the foolish shall not stand in your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity, you shall destroy them that speak leasing. (Habakkuk 1:13) You are of purer eyes than to behol…

And desire him to look into Christ's heart also, to see if your name is not written there with his own hand, and if Christ did not bear your name written upon his heart — as the high priest bore the names of all the tribes — when he hung upon the cross and when he ascended into…

And so it is with all those that are advanced to preferment in this world. Wherefore, seeing honor and dignity cometh not from themselves, or anything in them; therefore they must not ascribe it to their own wit, learning, strength, or friends; but wholly to the gift of God, as…

And we may do well to consider, (1.) That no man has any great or signal success in any affair and occasion, more than others, or more than at other time, but there will be in his mind an ascription of it to one cause or another. This the nature of things makes necessary, nor ca…

The final impunity of flagitious sinners in this world, the unrelieved oppressions, afflictions, and miseries of the best, the prosperity of wicked devilish designs, the defeating and overthrow of holy, just, righteous undertakings and endeavours, promiscuous accidents to all so…

Is it that he attained this dignity and greatness, by his own industry and endeavors? As the Prophet says of some, that their judgment and their dignity proceeds from themselves (Habakkuk 1:7). Neither do we find any thing of that nature ascribed to him.

Ignorance of the nature of it and how essential it is to the Divine Being, is the occasion of security in sinning and atheism to ungodly men (Ecclesiastes 8:11, 12, 13; 2 Peter 3:3, 4). And a great temptation it is ofttimes to them that are godly (Habakkuk 1:12, 13; Jeremiah 12:…

We promise much when we want deliverance, and when we have it, God is neglected; but he will not put it up so, by sad and disastrous accidents he puts us in mind of our old promises. 2. When you kiss your own hand, bless your dragge, ascribe it to your merit and power (Habakkuk…

Such is the depravedness and corruption of man in his fallen state that, as one has said, one man has become a wolf, a tiger to another. They are as the prophet complains — Habakkuk 1:14 — 'as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things that have no ruler over them.' And a…

He perceiving it a universal case — why are all they happy, etc. — did not know how to reconcile it with the righteousness of God. Nor Habakkuk with the holiness of God (Habakkuk 1:14): you are of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, why do you hold your tongue, when the wicked d…

For first, through His Spirit working powerfully in their hearts, He causes them to acknowledge and confess the sentence of the law pronounced against them to be most just and equitable — not only with respect to their actual sins but also with respect to their entire condition…

(Romans 2:8-9) Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that does evil; which one place, putting the four words together says, 1. That there is sorrow most certainly and inseparably on every soul that has sinned, and 2. That this sorrow is exceeding…

Mr. Towne answers with other Antinomians: The just and wise God who accepts every thing by due weight and measure as it is found to be, he does not, no, cannot account that which is but inchoate and partial for full and complete obedience; nor can it stand with justice to accept…

The wicked persecutors of the Church are reprooued for sacrificing to their nets, and burning incense to their yarne. Hab 1:16. Further, we must consider we have not onely received them; but that we have so received them, as that they are not our own, with which we may doe what…

For unbelievers are so full of pride, that attributing the victories which they get to their own forces, they make no bones to exalt themselves against God and all divine power. They make fair shows indeed, as if they stood in some awe of their gods; that is to say, of the idols…

You see then, that although the wicked seem at the first to be far from the contempt of God's majesty, yet in the end they manifest that they attribute all to themselves, and utterly exclude him. In words I grant they will give the praise of their victories to their gods, but im…

These words, The God of Israel, must be well observed, because the superstitious are wont to attribute their victories to their idols. And in that sense Habakkuk says, that everyone sacrificed to his god (Habakkuk 1:16). They run riot then in their talk, and forge such a divinit…

(1) That the Pollution of Sin is that Property of it whereby it is directly opposed to the Holiness of God, and which God expresses his Holiness to be contrary to. Hence he is said to be of purer eyes than to behold iniquity or to look on evil, Hab. 1. 13. It is a thing vile and…

They devour one another, because they have no right or law among them. Hence the Prophet complaining of force and violence among men, with a neglect of right, justice and equity, says, men are as the fishes of the sea; as creeping things that have no Ruler over them (Habakkuk 1:…

And what is necessary upon the account of the Holiness of God, is absolutely and indispensibly so, his Holiness being his Nature. You are, says Habakkuk, of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13). You cannot by any means have any thing to do…

A righteousness was to be brought in, that might answer the justice of God, and abide its trial. Of what nature this righteousness must be, the Scripture declares; and that as well in the revelation it makes of the holiness of God (Psalm 5:4, 5; Joshua 24:19; Habakkuk 1:13) as o…

It is true, their progenitors did to him whatever the counsel of God had determined; but notwithstanding all their rage, he was exalted by the right hand of God, and made a Prince and a Savior, having ruled ever since over the whole Israel of God, by his Word and Spirit, and ove…

Hence afflictions are called, gall and wormwood, bitter things. And the Chaldeans whom God made so great a scourge to his own people, are called a bitter nation (Habakkuk 1:6). We have opened these words which concern the curse upon Job's day.

For why do we affirm, that there is a God, if we make no addresses to him? if we have recourse only to our own power or policy to accomplish our designs; and when they succeed, ascribe the success of them only to our own wisdom and conduct, we make these our idols, and give them…

Not at all: he is using them indeed for his own end, and purposes, to break others, or fill up the measure of their own iniquities; that their destruction may be an evident demonstration of his vengeance, and righteous judgements to all the world, but present with them in the se…

Though God saves such as have been foolish, yet he does not save them in their folly, but from it. God hates sin, and it is his holy and pure nature that is displayed in his so doing, as (Habakkuk 1:13): you are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. The…

2. The children of God appear dead, cold, and unbelievingly to complain in the beginning of praying, and of a Psalm, as is clear in David (Psalm 22:2, expounding that of him, as some verify it has in some points of him, verse 2), and in Hezekiah in his song (Isaiah 39:10), in Jo…

So a man may apply it to any thing else; if a man shall say, that his own wit, or worth, or industry, etc. does bring things to pass; he takes that praise which peculiarly belongs to God, and gives it to the creature; whereas the Lord says, Jehovah is my name, and there is not t…

Men do not consider, That their works are in the hand of God, Ecclesiastes 9:1. And even those that have the most immediate dependence upon Providence, as Merchants and Sea-men, yet are very prone to undertake designes in the confidence of their own wisdom and industry; not look…

Thus cruel, merciless, and oppressive are wicked Men, whose tender mercies are cruelty, Proverbs 22:10. We see the like cruelty in our Extortioners, and over-reaching Sharks ashore, who grind the faces of the Poor, and regard not the Cries of the Fatherless and Widows, but fill…

Purity: as washed doves' eyes for purity — this may be taken either subjectively, for the excellency and unmixed cleanness and purity of his sight and knowledge in himself, or objectively, for his delighting to behold purity in others. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity…

It may be learned from his constant way in governing the world; notwithstanding all provocations; yet he does good to men, causing his sun to shine upon them, sending them rain and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness. From this it was easy for them to c…

This is the great discovery of the gospel. For whereas the Father as the fountain of the Deity is not known any other way but as full of wrath, anger, and indignation against sin — nor can the sons of men have any other thoughts of him, Romans 1:18, Isaiah 33:15-16, Habakkuk 1:1…

He may have a belly full, and fare at a better rate than others do. Habakkuk 1:16: Their portion is made fat, and their meat plenteous. When men have troubled themselves and the world to make themselves great, it is but for a little belly cheer, which may be wanted as well as en…

(Jeremiah 12:1) "Righteous are you, O Lord, when I plead with you: yet let me talk with you of your judgments: why does the way of the wicked prosper? why are all they happy that [illegible] treacherously?" (Habakkuk 1:12-13) "Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my holy…

He is holy, without spot or blemish, or any such thing, without any wrinkle, or any thing like it; as they also that are in Christ shall one day be (Ephesians 5:27). God is so holy, that he cannot sin himself, nor be the cause or author of sin in another; he does not command sin…

He cannot sin: it is impossible that he should (Hebrews 6:18). He can no more sin than he can cease to be God: nor can he be the approver or the author of sin (Habakkuk 1:13). You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and [illegible] on iniquity.

The Lord looks at it as a great sin thus feebly to oppose sin, and therefore verse 29 he tells him, that he honored his sons above God, and therefore he professes, far be it from me to maintain your house and comfort, for he that honors me I will honor, and he that despises me s…

A sinner's works are called dead works (Hebrews 6:1), and those works which are dead cannot please God; a dead wife cannot please her husband. 2. Heart-purity is necessary in respect of God: God is holy; purity is the chief robe with which God himself is clothed (Habakkuk 1:13).…

It is a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). In this lower region of the world, there is little righteousness, they set up wickedness by a law (Psalm 94:20), and the wicked devours his neighbor, which is more righteous than he (Habakkuk 1:13). Homo homini lupus.

It is a transgression of his holy law; it is an abominable thing to him (Jeremiah 44:4). It is that which he cannot endure (Habakkuk 1:13). And though he knows our frame, and will not be always contending with us, or break out in his severity for every frailty of ours; yet there…

Here was the Benjaminites' unsoundness, that were ready with the sword to defend in their brothers such prodigious lusts, which they could not but condemn in their judgments, and in others no doubt would have been ready to have punished with their swords (Judges 20:14). The Prop…

I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back (Isaiah 64:6; Luke 14:33; Psalm 38:4). I looked and saw him open the book, and read in it; and as he read, he…

Those doxologies which the Scripture uses are but acknowledgments of this attribute: "Blessed be the Lord for ever and ever" (Nehemiah 9:5); "To whom be glory, and honor, and dominion, for ever and ever" (Galatians 1:5); and in many other places. Here we may refer all those plac…

His justice; this makes Job complain of the long life and prosperity of the wicked (Job 41:7): "Therefore do the wicked live, yea become old?" &c. His holiness; this makes the prophet expostulate with God (Habakkuk 1:13): "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot lo…